Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has taken a beating on social media over a joke about quarantine being like jail, with many hailing it as insensitive and privileged.
Returning to her show Monday after a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellen joined the legion of late-night comedians now conducting their comedy routines in the comforts of their living rooms. Keeping the situation light, Ellen joked about her time in isolation along with its many pros and cons. She started off by thanking the many people who have kept society stable during this time.
“This is crazy,” she began. ” I wasn’t supposed to be doing my show from my house until next season. Today, I applaud you. Usually, I walk out and people applaud me, but I’m applauding you: nurses, doctors, hospital staff, supermarket employees, truck drivers, everyone who keeps us going. Thank you so much.”
Ellen added that she is keeping her show on the air to support her fine staff and crew that are staying home during this difficult time.
“Today I am filming this in my living room because it has the best light and sound and all the other rooms in my house are filled with toilet paper,” Ellen said.
After giving some words of encouragement while presenting her show as an escape from the harsh reality that people are under, Ellen later joked that quarantine was a bit like a jail.
“This is like being in jail,” she quipped. “Mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.”
For that, people on social media scolded Ellen for being insensitive, arguing that she is comparing herself to actual prisoners while being quarantined in her mansion.
“Really sucks to be isolated with people you love in a mansion,” said one Twitter user.
“Very uncool and Ellen should immediately advocate for every nonviolent prisoner (those in for misdemeanors or victimless crimes) or to be released or paroled or in hotels immediately,” said another user.
“Incarceration is leading to mass death in this pandemic. Also, I think by ‘gay,’ what y’all are referring to is actually often called rape in jail/prison. Maybe think of comparing life in your mansion to something else?” said another.
“Incarcerated people are dying by the dozen every day from coast to coast in this country, from Rikers to the Tacoma ice detention center, and you want to make prison rape jokes? please f**k off forever,” said another.
Comments on YouTube were generally more positive; the show currently has 3.6k upvotes versus just 221 downvotes.
Ellen DeGeneres took another beating on social media in October of last year when photos surfaced of her and former President George W. Bush being friendly at a football came. When addressing the outrage, Ellen said she wanted to preach a message about unity.
“Here’s the thing: I’m friends with George Bush. In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different, and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay,” DeGeneres said. “Just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not gonna be friends with them. When I say, ‘Be kind to one another,’ I don’t mean only the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. It doesn’t matter.”